1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to heating of food particles such as pieces of vegetable, pieces of meat such as minced meat, meat portions, pieces of chicken fillet, pieces of fish fillet and the like.
2. Description of Background Art
In the preparation of such products by heating, these products tend to stick together. Clumps of these products are hereby created so that the heat transfer process is made more difficult. This results in partially uncooked products.
It is known to process meat products, snacks, vegetables, fruit and entire meals by tumbling or marinating them. Tumbling is a treatment which is described in WO-A-01/19196. This treatment has for its object to add moisture and flavourings to these products before heating (boiling, cooking) them so as to define both the final yield and the desired taste. Meat proteins are activated by the tumbling and/or marinating so as to bind the desired moisture and/or flavourings. However, the different meat and/or vegetables or other additives also begin to display mutually adhering and binding properties due to the protein that is released. The individual meat parts, snack parts together form a conglomerate of particles. A mixture such as a tangled, sticky mass, a mash of pieces of meat and composite parts such as meat balls, sausages and the like make the subsequent treatment difficult. For the subsequent treatment, for instance cooking, deep-frying, coating, individual freezing or drying, it is desirable that the meat particles come to lie individually on the belt, in the flying fat, on a steel belt or in an airflow. The invention is by no means limited to such products; small meat products such as meat portions or mince meat particles can also be used. Such products can for instance be used in dried soups, on pizzas, in sauces or in ready-to-eat meals, for instance for institutions.
A combination of labour and/or mechanical aids have heretofore been used for this purpose. Such a treatment is not always effective. It thus occurs that the product adheres to the other particles, adheres to the belt or develops colour differences due to other contact.